There are limits to what can be said publically about the operational techniques used by our law enforcement agencies. To do so would assist potential criminals to evade detection. However, in investigations that start with an online identifier or IP address, such as online child sexual exploitation cases, communications data will often be the only available investigative lead to identify a suspect or victim in the real world. If this data is not available, such investigations cannot proceed. As the Director General of the National Crime Agency, Keith Bristow, has made clear: "Communications data is still overwhelmingly the most powerful tool available to those investigating child sexual exploitation and identifying and safeguarding its victims and potential victims."

Fraud is a group of offences that consists of several different offence types. Fraud offences have always been recorded as notifiable offences. There has not been any recent major reclassification of these offences.

Operation NOTARISE is an ongoing NCA-led, UK-wide operation which is identifying and taking law enforcement action against individuals viewing indecent images of children. Activity in Operation NOTARISE was prioritised according to how much risk the individuals presented, including checking the appropriate databases.

Those with access to children have been given the highest priority. As of 23 October, 704 people have been arrested, 133 children protected and 324 children safeguarded. It would not be appropriate to share any furtherdetails of operational procedures.

" ;
parl:answeringMember ;
parl:answeringMemberConstituency
"Staffordshire Moorlands" ;
parl:answeringMemberPrinted "Karen Bradley" ;
parl:dateOfAnswer "2014-10-30"^^xsd:dateTime ;
parl:isMinisterialCorrection false ;
parl:questionFirstAnswered "2014-10-30T11:44:09.445255Z"^^xsd:dateTime .
parl:answer ;
parl:answeringDeptId "1" ;
parl:answeringDeptPrinted "Home Office" ;
parl:answeringDeptShortName "Home Office" ;
parl:answeringDeptSortName "Home Office" ;
parl:hansardHeading "Offences against Children: Internet" ;
parl:houseId "1" ;
parl:legislature ;
parl:questionText "To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been identified as part of Operation Notarise; how many IP addresses have been linked to named people during that operation; and how many such people have been checked against (a) the Department for Work and Pensions database and (b) the Disclosure and Barring Service list of those working in regulated activity." ;
parl:registeredInterest false ;
parl:tablingMember ;
parl:tablingMemberConstituency "Kingston upon Hull North" ;
parl:tablingMemberPrinted "Diana Johnson" ;
parl:uin "211463" ;
dcterms:date "2014-10-22"^^xsd:dateTime .
parl:answerText "

Action Fraud is the national reporting point for fraud, cyber-enabled financial crime and Computer Misuse Act (CMA) offences, and is operated by the City of London Police, the national lead force for fraud.Action Fraud only assumed full responsibility for recording fraud and offences under the CMA in 2013/14. The Home Office does not hold data for the breakdown of disseminations from the City of London Police to local police forces by the factors involved in the crime, such as whether it involved a cyber element. In 2013/14 City of London Police disseminated around 40,000 crimes to police forces for consideration for investigation.

The last Annual Fraud Indicator was produced by the National Fraud Authority and was published on 6 June 2013. There are no plans to publish further fraud statistics in this way. When the closure of the National Fraud Authority was announced on 2 December 2013, Official Report, column 36WS, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Home Secretary made it clear that, "while the National Fraud Authority has been successful in raising awareness of fraud and improving co-ordination, the focus should now be on cutting economic crime". The National Crime Agency is now responsible for producing the single picture of all the threats from serious and organised crime, including economic crime and fraud.